


Day 22: Getaway

by GemmaRose



Series: Lost Light Fest 2018 [22]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Battle, Fear of Death, Functionist Universe (Transformers), Gen, Impersonation, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-14 07:22:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16488221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: He knew three things, in his first nano-klik online: his designation, his alt-mode, and his function.





	Day 22: Getaway

**Author's Note:**

> Somewhat inspired by [this drabble by Decepticonsensual on tumblr.](http://decepticonsensual.tumblr.com/post/173209159358/)

He knew three things, in his first nano-klik online. His designation: Ripstream of Tesk. His alt-mode: car, highly maneuverable but lightly armoured. His function: Defend Council property from attack by Arsonists.

In the nano-kliks that followed he registered more things. The date and time, his orders and chain of command, the fact that he’d been dropped from a plane. Oh, and the fact that the rapidly approaching ground below him was an _active battlefield_. He hit the ground hard, frame instinctively pitching forwards in a tumble to minimize the direct force of the impact, and when a laser blast struck the ground next to his helm he yelped and scrambled backwards, optics flicking side to side, looking for the nearest patch of safety.

A mech with wings sticking out of his back hit the ground next to him, and Ripstream’s optics scanned his paintjob for the flames all Arsonists wore. The mech wobbling to his feet bore none, just flat teal and white and a yellow battlemask under wide golden optics. Ripstream grabbed his ally’s arm and, finally spotting a scrap of cover, dragged the flier with him to hunker behind it. A jet of fire cut through the space where they’d been standing, and his optics widened as a purple mech decorated with energon pink flames came charging through the hole that shot made in the ranks.

“Shoot him!” Ripstream hissed in his ally’s audial when the mech came up against a bigger bot and had to stop to fight him. A bigger bot who he was pretty sure was his CO, actually.

“I- I-” his ally’s vocaliser sputtered and glitched, the jet’s hands shaking on his gun, identical to the one Ripstream had dropped when he hit the ground.

“That’s _Calidus_.” he hissed. Leader of the Arsonists, a top priority target along with Meteor, tagged as Kill On Sight in the list he must’ve come online with.

“I know! But-”

A bomb exploded, cutting off whatever his ally had been about to say, and Ripstream flinched as a laser shot by his helm far too close for comfort. Enemy fire from one side, Calidus burning through the chain of command on the other “Frag this!” he grabbed the jet by the wrist and took off, dragging him towards what he hoped was the edge of the battlefield. His ally didn’t struggle or protest, just ran with him, vents laboured as they ducked and dodged fire from both sides.

He kept his helm down, optics focused on the ground ahead, and only barely skidded to a stop before he ran smack into a hulking mech with dark, shiny paint. His ally apparently hadn’t been looking at all though, because the jet plowed right into his back and knocked them both to the ground at the officer’s feet.

The sounds of battle, he abruptly realised, had faded to silence. How long had they been running?

“What’s this, a pair of deserters?” the mech gestured with one hand, and two armoured vehicle alts with matte grey paint stepped forwards to haul them both upright. “Looked like you were running from the Tesk base. Why would you be doing that?”

“Had to- had to-” half his systems glitched, and he reset his audials, optics, and vocaliser all at once. “Get away.”

“Getaway?” the officer asked skeptically. “I suppose the designation fits a deserter like yourself.”

“He’s not.” the jet next to him said, voice surprisingly steady.

“Oh?”

“He was my escort.” the jet shook his arm, swatting the mech holding it until he let go and then pulling himself up tall, wings high and proud. “I’m a scientist.”

The officer looked him over, then burst out laughing. “Right, a scientist.” he grinned, the most condescending thing Ripstream had ever seen. “Because fliers have the attention span to be scientists. I oughta turn both of you in for reprogramming.”

“You can check my forge certificate if you want.” the jet lifted his chin, optics narrowing imperiously. “Genitus of Tesk, I was being brought online when the attack started. Getaway here was assigned to make sure I made it out alive.” Genitus gestured to him, and he realized belatedly that the officer must’ve asked his designation while he was rebooting his audials. That, and he’d never introduced himself, and with all his data tags still set to private by default...

“He’s telling the truth, Sir.” he lied through his denta, turning slightly towards Genitus. “You can check both our records in the Tesk facility’s computers.”

The officer, whose data tags designated him Roadsling, squinted at both of them for a moment before ex-venting a heavy sigh. “You’re both coming with me. We’ll get _you_ tested after.” he jabbed a finger at Genitus, who merely narrowed his eyes and radiated disdain. “Mechs, transform and roll out! We’re needed at Tesk.”

He transformed, wheels hitting pavement for the first time, and as Genitus took to the sky above them he quietly accessed his data tags and changed Ripstream to Getaway before making it public, along with some other tags that he could read off of the mechs travelling in front of him. Once they were alone, he and Genitus would be having a nice long chat, but until then he’d just play along. At worst, they’d probably be given extra mission coding and sent somewhere else to fulfill their function. To his knowledge, there was plenty of demand for security.

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in the same AU as days 5 and 12, where Megatron's sparkling is a flamethrower named Arson. Three guesses what happened that made the violently anti-Council insurgents name their group after her ;)


End file.
